News

Engine manufacturer Cummins has performed a U-turn on its commitment to Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and will now feature Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) on both its medium and heavy duty engine ranges.

Following Caterpillar's recent much-publicised exit from the on-highway market, the company is the only independent engine supplier to the North American industry. It had previously claimed that EGR alone  was sufficient to comply with US EPA 10 emissions legislation, which is due to come into force on 1 January 2010.

According to Jim Kelly, president of Cummins' on-highway engine business, the decision to opt for SCR – taken as late as last week – is as a result of both increasing fuel prices and major developments in catalyst technology. In the case of the latter, the use of copper zeolite will allow Cummins to offer a claimed 5% fuel saving over the outgoing EPA 07 compliant engine range.

But it seems obvious that key to this decision is the significant price increase of diesel that has been experienced by US truck operators. Speaking to CM, Cummins vice-president of sales and marketing Jeff Jones says that if an engine system can deliver even a 1% or 2% improvement in fuel economy, it would save a significant amount in diesel.

"At $5 a gallon, it's a whole lot more beneficial to our customers than it would be at  $2.50 per gallon," he says.

Cummins' decision leaves International as the only OEM still planning to offer a solely EGR-derived engine for 2010 compliance. The company's Maxxforce engine – a rebadged version of MAN's D20/D26 range – is due to be assembled at Navistar's Alabama, USA, engine plant, and, according to MAN, by the end of 2008, 5,000 units are expected to have been shipped from Germany.